Colin Kaepernick's new deal with the San Francisco 49ers is causing quite a stir in the sports world. Many people don't believe he's worth all the money for his limited starts. But when you break everything down, this is a smart contract for both the quarterback and the team.
When looking at just the plain numbers, yes, Kaepernick's deal is an enormous $126 million all the way until 2020. That was enough for plenty of bloggers and even journalists to run with the headline and use the same hammer to batter on how terrible of a contract it is that they used with Joe Flacco's contract.
It's obvious that those covering the Ravens are tired of people complaining about Flacco's contract and scooped up this story to say, hey, Kapernick is getting $10 milion more guaranteed, so shut it.
Not so fast. That "guaranteed" money is anything but. Deadspin actually took the time to look at the entire contract and broke everything down on what exactly Kaepernick was going to get.
That $61 million guaranteed is only guaranteed if he plays for the next five years. In order to gain the entirety of his contract, he has to avoid de-escalator penalties if he doesn't do one of the following (via Deadspin):
Starting in 2015, Kaepernick's promised base salary will decrease by $2 million each year unless he does one of two things, and neither is easy. To regain that two million in any given season, he must QB the 49ers to the Super Bowl, or be named first or second team All-Pro.
NBC Sports also notes that Kaepernick has to take 80 percent of the snaps. There's also a $125K penalty for every game that he misses because of an injury.
Basically, it would be a miracle if Kaepernick gets all of that cash. But he's betting on himself, and you have to admire that confidence. It's also smart for both parties.
Kaepernick is banking more money than he ever has, and as long as he avoids serious injuries, he's taking over $100 million home by 2020. If not, or he flames out, he'll still take some cash home and the 49ers are off the hook.
This also loosens the grip on the 49ers' salary cap and they can continue to bring in talent. Yes, the quarterback position is the most important position in football, but he also wouldn't be at the level if it wasn't for the solid coaching staff, incredible offensive line, and the absolute stout defense. He knows that, and that's why the contract is so brilliant.
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